Yelrona
Meira Yelrona
Appearance
Yelrona is a young (116 years old) and slightly built (STR 10, CON 10, 4'2", 95#) Dawn Elf.
Her skin is a warm coppery tone that almost seems to glow in the sun. Her dark brown hair hangs to her waist, usually in a tightly woven braid that she tucks into her tunic so it doesn't get in her way. Her eyes are light green, wide-set, and usually glancing around playfully, her expression usually amused and often laughing outright.
She ordinarily wears gray studded leather that is masterfully made, tight-fitted to her body and cunningly fashioned to not obstruct her movements. The metal studs provide protection without being obtrusive, designed to avoid getting caught on things. Black calf-high boots and elbow-length gloves complete her "working garb", along with an exceptionally well-made rapier that hangs from her belt and a variety of small pouches and pockets.
When not on the job, she wears brightly-colored silks over her leathers, giving her a colorful and celebratory appearance.
She's attractive enough (CHA 14), though really it's due more her manner than her appearance... mischievous smirk and dancing eyes and a grace that seems -- and is -- superhuman (DEX 20).
Capabilities
Although not a criminal, Yelrona is trained as a thief: she can find and disarm traps, slip bonds, avoid perception, is clever with her hands, the usual sort of thing. Although not a fighter, she can be a useful asset in a fight (DEX 20, Weapon Finesse, Masterwork Rapier, Sneak Attack).
She is fluent in several really obscure languages (Celestial, Goblin-Talk, Hand-Speech, Mynsandraal, Sylvan) as well as Sildanyari and Tradespeech. Ask her why and she'll tell you. (Then we'll both know.)
She's no genius, but she's smart enough, and she doesn't run with scissors. She's not terribly disciplined, but she'll usually follow instructions if she trusts the person giving them.
History
The Meira clan was (and still is) a classic big fish in a small pond... one of the most respected families in Yles Namvadin ("Sweet Spring," named after a freshwater spring nearby renowned for exceptionally pure water), a small elven settlement in the Mythwood. Yelrona grew up the beneficiary of considerable respect from locals because of her lineage, though in a settlement of twenty or thirty families or so that wasn't really saying a lot. Her mother Falenas had been the Elunite priestess for nearly two centuries and known as a skilled healer and teacher. Ylena's father Avourel was a Rogue, an adventurer, and often away from the settlement. Known to few was Avourel's status as an Acquisitioner, whose many long journeys were in service of the Elunite church. He specialized in tracking down necromancers and safely retrieving or destroying necromantic artifacts.
Shortly after her birth, Yelrona's parents and several others from the Temple of Eluna took the infant on a pilgrimage to a sacred grove in the Mythwood, where Falenas prayed over her that the gods might grant her a boon, that as she grew she might exemplify the talents that she inherited from her lineage. When they returned to Yles Namvadin, Falenas was content that her prayer had been answered... and indeed it was, but not the way she'd intended. As Yelrona grew older it became clear that she was not rising up to take her mother's place in the temple... though clever and wise, she lacked the discipline for a cleric's life. Far more importantly, as she grew she came to revel in the arts of the body far more than in those of the mind or spirit. She was well-known in the settlement as exceptionally quick and light-fingered and agile, and would often entertain the adults with displays of gymnastics and prestidigitation... often when she was _supposed_ to be studying in the Temple library. Eventually her father acceded to the inevitable and began training her in stealth, quickness, and evasiveness... the tools of roguery. Her mother never did, and grew increasingly exasperated with her.
Her best friend in Yles Namvadin was an older boy, Kalniss, whose family was looked down on due to rumors of Mul'niessa Sorcerors in their lineage, and whose parents managed a Mythwood trading route and were frequently away from home for long periods. Yelrona and Kalniss spent a great deal of time together, exploring the settlement and, later, ruins around the Mythwood. She learned a great deal from him and from the friends he would sometimes introduce her to, Rogues of all races who would gather from time to time to trade stories and loot, show off skills, etc. She came to enjoy both the learning and the showing off quite a bit.
In her eighth decade, the two youths stumbled across a group of slavers operating in a Mythwood ruin. They decided to intervene, setting up traps and distracting the slavers until they could free the slaves. It worked for a while, but eventually they got caught. Eventually they were rescued by a Liberator party that included Kalniss' parents, and their injuries healed. Yelrona learned that Kalniss' father was a Tarienite Cleric, but he preferred that this not be widely known, and that his family had been rescued from Mul'niessa slavers before he was born and had later joined the Liberators. Yelrona agreed to keep all of this to herself, but she began to spend more time with them, which in turn led to conflicts with her mother... especially as she began to question some elements of the Elunite doctrine. Tensions at home only grew as her father's return from his latest adventure grew later and later.
This all got much worse on her hundredth birthday, when she was officially declared an adult and invited to declare her allegiance to a Deity in her own name, rather than as an extension of her parents. The Elunite church expected her to pledge herself to Eluna, but she didn't. Her mother was deeply hurt, and over the next decade or so Yelrona spent less and less time at home, and more and more time with the Tarienites, until finally she declared allegience to Tarien at the age of 115. This was the last straw for her mother, who refused any further contact with her. In response Yelrona left Yles Namvadin, declaring she was going to find her father, although in fact she had no idea how to even begin doing that, or even any reason to expect he's still alive after all these years.
In the year or so since then, she has learned that her father was looking for a necromantic artifact known as the Hand of Ilris, about which very little is known... at least by anyone she's talked to. She has ended up in Alexandria, figuring that it's as good a place as any and better than most to continue her search. And while she takes this seriously, she is also embracing the teachings of Tarien to seek humor and laughter and embrace the unexpected turns of fate as they arise.
Something Yelrona does not know, because nobody ever told her, is that the sacred grove whose boon she received as an infant is not an entirely unmixed blessing... there is a price to be paid, though the specific price varies. Falenas knew this, but figured there was plenty of time to take care of the problem once Yelrona had come into her maturity as a Cleric... and then her pride prevented her from bringing it up once it became clear that was never going to happen. She will warn her daughter eventually, of course, but there's no hurry, right? (Plot hook for later.)
Roleplay Hooks
- 'rona will basically go along with any crazy random harebrained scheme as long as it's not _obviously_ suicidal and doesn't seem likely to actually involve doing anything immoral... like, not actually hurting anyone, basically. She won't necessarily _like_ it, but her understanding of Tarien's nature means that when fate opens a door, she steps through it.
- If you are the sort of person who would notice this sort of thing, feel free to notice both the traces of the boon she received from the sacred grove, and the associated "price to be paid." Obviously, that can't be very specific, since I haven't yet decided what it is.
- Feel free to have your character have some connection to Avourel's fate. This can be as minor as having met the guy once over coffee, or more substantial. Don't worry about how you tie into "the actual plot", I haven't decided what that is yet anyway, and in any case I really like the idea of having this trail be weird and convoluted and nonlinear, so whatever you come up with is fine. Whatever it is, as long as she finds out you're connected (you might have some item she recognizes as his, or maybe he mentioned his daughter's name so you recognize her name, or whatever) she'll hound you to find out what you know. Feel free to make stuff up, as long as at the end of the day you don't close off further steps on that story... like, don't decide your character saw Avourel die or anything like that. If you're unsure, ask me first. But honestly, I like the idea of making her through-line quest subject to whatever whims y'all have.
- If you're an Acquisitioner, or a Liberator, she wants to hear about your experiences. She isn't a member of either group (yet) but she's fond of them and knows enough from her childhood friends/family to recognize a general recognition symbol, like a sign/countersign or a secret handshake or something like that.
Logs
- Yelrona's Arrival - Yelrona arrives at the Alexandros Gates after a long journey, is greeted by two local elves, and learns disquieting news about demonic activity that just might be connected to her quest to find her father.
- Demon in the Garden! - Yelrona and Velothin are faced with a demonic foe, and they bravely run away.
- Hare we Go! - Bunnies, Bunnies, it must be bunnies!.... Or maybe ettins?
- 'The Increasingly Inaccurately Named Archives Trilogy' - A surprisingly engaging set of grid RP scenes involving Yelrona and Diemma looking things up in the Ithildinian medical journals, searching for clues to her father's whereabouts. Includes The Coming of the Bindroot! (in which Yelrona meets Diemma, a local nun who who offers to help her search the journals, while also learning about demons and invasive plant life), Approaching the Archives (in which Yelrona takes Diemma up on her offer), To the Archives! (in which Yelrona picks her first lock in Alexandros, and is caught by a priest and a temple guard, neither of whom seem to mind terribly much), and Back to the Archives (in which our heroes discuss philosophy, politics, Sith cooking habits, and the sexual predilections of gentis medica)
- And the Rain Crashed Down on the Roof... - Yelrona and Sorscha have an emotional argument in the pouring rain, and 'rona reveals some things about her past.
- A clue! - Sandy rescues Yelrona from a street gang and reveals a clue to the fate of Yelrona's father.
- Away, You Rolling River - Yelrona practices her tumbling, disturbs a couple of rangers at rest, learns some things about Sith-makar mating habits, and skinny-dips with Ga'Elian.
- Take me to the River - Balance practice becomes acrobatics training becomes reminiscing about parties.
- MAYHEM!!! - Demons. Possessed golems. Mayhem. (Mostly mayhem.)
- Duckie! - Aftermath of Mayhem: duck-hunting.
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